OUR VIEW

Sovereignty issue needs clarity

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 21, 2013

When a commission was created to identify and count indigenous Native Hawaiians as a starting pool toward some form of sovereignty, the goal was ambitious. A year into the effort, the result has been disappointing.
The commission faces both a short-term climb and a long-term hard truth: First, as a January registration deadline looms, it must redouble outreach to emphasize that signing up is a key step toward sovereignty for Hawaiians; but second, that the means and goals of Hawaiian sovereignty are muddled and need much more clarity for participants before progress can be made.

When a commission was created to identify and count indigenous Native Hawaiians as a starting pool toward some form of sovereignty, the goal was ambitious. A year into the effort, the result has been disappointing.

The commission faces both a short-term climb and a long-term hard truth: First, as a January registration deadline looms, it must redouble outreach to emphasize that signing up is a key step toward sovereignty for Hawaiians; but second, that the means and goals of Hawaiian sovereignty are muddled and need much more clarity for participants before progress can be made. Login for more...